The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1887-09-02
EoRsE ANn ElRaEi

Stone in regard to Gov. Lowry
. remarkable figures We wOsld liz
TO publish il 10 full to show th
msniEsBlatioBs OF the entire trans
7 action 10 regard TO NoxHbee, Whicl
a Is evidently 10 Keeping with Ia
whole, bet it is rather lengthy. Il
= Justice 70 Auditor Stone, hOuever
We sppend his expIAnstic0 Of tn,
] discrepancy, rs ~follo~s:
The fbregUiag embrace Transactions a
, thiA O@eE had tor accs94f e( pares Of ar'
Gszl y~a-s. With the Auditor and Treas
urvr, the fiscal years begin January lat
and close December 3lst, aad With tn
fact, al ntS mass accord and oui
ooOks are 80 kept. Tina a. Yea knew
ara all reports made tn :he LEGISLATURE.
- you auGde 20 the Governors state
zeEta touching Noxub<e coguty. / eucloss
4 copy OF . statement reGdered him AZ bis
request frr receipts add disbursements,
under it~ui1ed hsadinz N or during the
fiscal year lss6- This statement does not
Tncluds the L~egsslGflrg itsA, a. be did lot
ask tor it
The railroad tax ~dissribaiioo, A. you
VIII note. u the eollsetioa for that account
made II Deeembsr, 1855, bat B~stdisburs=d
until January. 1857, and this fact is stated
in my latter to the Governor enclosing
st1tementA The reason OF nv using the
1917 disbursement q that the collection
for 1se5 WAS dis5ursed partially IN Decem-
Der, l5o5, and in January, le56: thereby
dividing the distribution which should
appear in the Transactions Of sas Eaa1l year
into those Of two fiscal years Thus | had
70 preser e the integrity Of the ransae-
ton By doing az stated above.
OF eourse ! have no disposition to make
any county appear IN An unjust or unfav-
orable light. aud will not do 81. The 6z-
ures given Gov Lowry are Just as the
books in this Office show during the fiscal
year, lse6, With the single exception just
stated.
/ must ssy that l am only too glad to
furnish you with the facts as you ask for
them, and especially when the eOmPAri-
son between the transactions d1T5Rg or IN
any one fiscal year and fy a fiscal year
shows unayoidably q wide difference.
For instance oar books show Noxubee
county for the State tax Of 1855 to have
paid in $3.50 70 before January /, ls56,
and only, on the tax Of same year, s., 3OI.-
81 after January l, 1885. Again see state
ment "Ah for the State tax Of ls76. Your
county paid in before January l, 1851 only
Sl,6l7.64 aud after January l. 1857 S9,-
025, which places receipts during ISe6
At great disadvantage The figures are
correct, yet are very misleading. Apply
this incident to seVeuty-four~ counties and
it will be seen that difference of 500. 900
may be made in the receipts 10 two differ
eut years, with identieally the same tax
levy and the same ideatity in sill other
sources of revenue.
The confusion necessarily incident upon
this state of things is extremely embar-
RAISING to me as an officer, and chiefly be-
cause the true status Of affairs is known
to 90 few. In short, confusion is rampant
Wheu justice to taxpayers demands that
al things should be plain and easily un-
derstOod.
As it now stands the Auditors report
covers transactions from January lst to
December 3lst each year, whereas the
tax-eoliectors October 1st. aud
April LIST of the following year Priv
ileges aud license to retail commence NAV /
LIST and end Apnl 30th of the following
year. The school fluid first distribution
in July aud final in January following
year.
With this letter Mr.. Stone furn-
isbes Mr. Patty a statement show
ing excess paid into the State
treasury, by that county, S3,O04.77.
He also furnishes a copy of state
ment rendered Gov. Lowry Oh the
basis explained by him showing
excess paid to county, S4,467.6S,
while the Governor makes it in his
$6,O67.6S. Mr. Patty con-
no doubt correctly, that
the mention of the Legislative
item" in Auditor stones letter ex-
this discrepancy, aud that :
he Governor changed the A auditors :
by adding charges for the .
of one Senator and three :
or iu other words l
bus "doctoredo the Auditors Rg. I
Tres to increase the "misleadIusB =
nd erroneous deficit. Auditor i
then makes up bis own state .
lent showing excess paid into the :
treasury by NoIubee county, "
D be e6,54421, leaving ont land :
sles and redemptions. y"
In the statement furnished by the T"
.uditor, for Noxubee county, We .
nd privilege aud retail licenses
redited to the county. According d
!, the Governor that was not done II
case of this county. We were o
edited with nothing except the j
tate tax on real aud personal c,
-operty. Had We been treated e.
18th even that much fairness We il
ould have come out ahead. Did
Governor tsmper with our 6g-
'es, too, Mr. StOnef Was be 50 '
'sirOus of proving that We bad no Il
ght to complain that he cut Of D
1900 from our figures that we're g
I'd enough at besti we would be ia
Fry glad to have an explanation "
I'd give the devil bis due. 81